The greatest fear of the modern fiscal conservative is, without a doubt, “universal healthcare.” Economists realize that such a plan of action would probably do quite a number on our already injured economy. We already have a broken arm; we don’t need a broken back too. Would it be surprising if someone said universal healthcare already exists here in the United States? It surprised me the first time I heard it. The majority of states have laws requiring emergency rooms to see people regardless of their health insurance situation—or ability to pay, for that matter. No worries though, the American taxpayer will pick up the tab. The aforementioned laws also encourage people to visit the emergency room when they don’t have a life-threatening health problem. The emergency room, unlike your average doctor, is required to take them. In the words of former MIT professor of political science Noam Chomsky, “It wastes an enormous amount of time. It’s not preventative care, figuring out how to avoid getting sick in the first place. It’s the most expensive, most inefficient kind of universal health care system you can imagine” (Imperial Ambitions, 196).

It is obvious that our current healthcare system is in need of some sort of reform. It is almost reasonably understandable that both potential Democratic presidenti[...] Read More

April 2008

Greetings From The Broad Street Journal

A Letter From the Editor

The Soapbox Professor

Environmentalist Bias in a Classroom

A Few Inconvenient Truths

Misguided Mr. Gore and His Propaganda

Where Did Our Patriotism Go?

Some Thoughts From An Indignant Patriot

Proposed State Smoking Ban On Private Property

Individual Rights Under Attack By Proposed Bill

The Soapbox Professor

This past semester, I had the opportunity to take a course called “Global Ethics and World Religions.” This course fulfilled three different requirements needed to complete most majors at VCU, so one can assume that many students would end up taking this class sooner or later. At the beginning of the year I was quite excited to attend this class, hoping to learn a bit more about other cultures and religions. Much to my surprise, the overwhelming majority of the class was to be spent on the global ethics part.

         The first day of class set the tone for things to come during the semester. The professor first handed out the syllabus and then began to talk about what the course would cover. This was when I first sensed that something wasn’t right. The professor did not talk about the beliefs of different religions or cultures, but rather discussed how it was the responsibility of these religious establishments to help clean up the environment. I couldn’t tell precisely what po[...] Read More

Where Did Our Patriotism Go?

When I first came to VCU, I was incredibly excited about going to such a culturally diverse school. I signed up for classes and would show up just a little early to watch all the different people coming to class. Bright-eyed and happy to be here, I recall thinking that this was what our Founding Fathers had in mind when they built this great country.

As I signed up for more and more classes, I began to notice that not everyone was as excited about the United States as I was. The more the professors lectured, the less appreciation I had for my country. I am thirty-one years old, a little older than the average student, so maybe I am just blind to some new attitudes that are considered acceptable. However, the more students I talked to, the more I began to notice that people from other countries show more patriotism towards America than many of the students and professors at VCU.

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Greetings From The Broad Street Journal

Dear Reader:

As members of the VCU community, we are all blessed with being a part of something truly magnificent. Our university is the largest in the State of Virginia, our diversity is a matter of renown, our achievements are a matter of national pride and the total sum of our individual experiences is a treasure trove of uniquely American splendor. As most other universities in the United States, however, we face a troubling ideological dilemma: the majority of students, professors and media throughout our colleges willingly subscribe to or inadvertently submit to what is collectively labeled “liberalism.” It is therefore my sincere honor to present to you The Broad Street Journal, the new conservative publication for the VCU campus.

This letter is your guide to the origin, philosophy and practices of this publication. The first section tells the story of how we came into being, the second section covers our official views, and the third section discusses our nature as an independent venue for conservative and libertarian writers of the university. I hope that once you[...] Read More